Collapsible toy and the like.



G. NEEDLEMAN.

GOLLAPSIBLE TOY AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1914.

Lmwm Patented Feb. 9,1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS c0. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASH INGrON, D c.

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GOLLAPSIBLE TOY AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1914.

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CHARLES NEEDLEIVEAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 01? ONE-HALF T0 EDWARD ALBRO MARTELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAPSIBLE TOY AND THE LIKE.

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Application filed January 5, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES NEEDLEMAN,

a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Toys and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to toys, and more particularly to that class of toys wherein each embodiment is provided with a plurality of compartments and arrangements whereby children may utilize the same as a miniature store with counters, shelves, &c., or the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide such a structure and construction that while normally the device is expanded to establish such a store or the like, it may when desired be collapsed, for purposes of transportation or storage, in such a way that the various parts of the store or the like, for instance the shelves, counters, side walls, floor, sign plate, &c., may cooperate to nest one within the other or be arranged one with relation to another and in addition cooperate to strengthen and multiply the receptive capacity of the collapsed or expanded structure.

Another object is to provide a device that will be sturdily constructed, and one capacitated for great economy of manufacture, ease of manipulation, and general attractiveness of appearance.

Other objects and aims of this invention, more or less broad than those stated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will appear from the claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification and wherein are shown two of the various possible embodiments of this invention as at present preferred Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of said embodiments in expanded condition, showing in broken lines the dispositions certain of the parts assume when the said embodiment is collapsed; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said embodiment in its collapsed condi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 810,338.

tion; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of said embodiment in its expanded condition; and F 1g. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing another embodiment of the invention and additionally disclosing in broken lines the dispositions certain of the parts assume when said embodiment is collapsed.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now particularly to the structure disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the reference numeral 5 represents what may be here termed the rear wall of the store. Rigidly carried by this rear wall are a plurality of side walls 6 and a bottom wall 7. A plurality of shelves 8 are also preferably rigidly carried by the walls just described, in aid of strengthening the structure established by the latter. Hinged as shown to the upper edge of rear wall 5 is a sign-plate 9, which may be marked as indicated or otherwise inscribed if desired. With the device in expanded condition, this signplate is preferably vertically arranged as shown. Hinged as shown to the front rear edge of each side wall 5 is an auxiliary side wall 10. Each of these auxiliary side walls here carries a plurality of shelves 8 arranged in such a way, for instance as indicated. that the shelves 8 and 8' aid each other in bracing and strengthening the general structure, not only when the device is collapsed but also when it is expanded and also during the operation of changing it from an expanded condition to a collapsed condition and vice versa. Hinged as shown to the front edge of bottom wall 6 is an auxiliary bottom wall or floor 11. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 this bottom wall on its upper surface carries a plurality of stop members 12; in the present instance these stop members being formed of a resilient material and being in the nature of leafsprings. Sign-plate 9 carries a stud 14C, and auxiliary bottom wall 11 carries a hook 15, the stud and hook being adapted to cooperate as indicated in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2 when the embodiment is collapsed as hereinafter described.

Having thus described this embodiment of this invention, the operation thereof should largely be obvious. In Fig. 3 the device is disclosed as being in its expanded condition, which it will be noted is the condition of the device when a child is utilizing the same .as a toy. In this expanded condition, an auxiliary counter or counters or the like may be placed upon the auxiliary bottom wall 11 and the various horizontal shelves 8 and 8 may have displayed thereon the stores stock-in-trade. When it is desired temporarily to collapse the device as would be exceedingly desirable in many situations, a preferable method of collapsing the same would consist, first, in storing upon the horizontal shelves 8 the auxiliary counter or the like and the stock-in-trade which as aforesaid has been or is intended thereafter to be displayed on the horizontal shelves 8 and 8, second, in exerting sufficient pressure upon the auxiliary side Walls 10 to swing them on their hinges until these side walls come into abutment with the front edges of horizontal shelves 8, third, in swinging the auxiliary bottom wall 11 upwardly on its hinges until the stop members 12 are in enforced resilient abutment against the outer surfaces of auxiliary side Walls 10, fourth, in swinging the sign-plate 9 downwardly upon its hinges until it overlies the upper edges of side walls 6, auxiliary side walls 10 and auxiliary bottom wall 11, and fifth, in finally causing hook 15 to cooperate with stud 14: as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1 thereby to lock the device in its then collapsed condition.

Referring now particularly to the struc ture disclosed in Fig. 4, there will be observed as present the rear wall 5, the side walls 6, the bottom wall 7, the plurality of shelves 8, the sign-plate 9, the auxiliary side walls 10, the auxiliary bottom wall 11, the stop members 12, the stud l4 and the hook 15, all substantially as disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive to the end that the present illustrative disclosure may be simplified. It will be noted that illustratively disclosed horizontal shelves 8 disclosed in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3 have locations similar to the locations ofthe shelves 8 of the embodiment of Fig. 4, that is, if the lower shelf 8 be assumed four inches higher than the bottom wall 7, said upper shelf 8 may likewise be assumed four inches higher than the lower shelf 8, and the upper edges of side walls 6'may be assumed two inches higher thanupper shelf 8. In the embodiment of Fig. 4 the shelves 8 of Fig. 3 are dispensed with and there are substituted therefor a plurality of shelves 8. It will be noted that each of the shelves 8. here illustratively includes a bottom wall and a plurality of vertical walls carried by said bottom wall, thus making each shelf 8 what may be termed an open-topped isolated compartment. It will also be noted, in accordance with my above illustrative assumptions, that the depth and hence the receptive capacity of each shelf 8 is substantially equal to the receptive capacity which will be established above each bottom wall 7, lower shelf 8 and upper shelf 8 when the auxiliary side walls 10 are swung inwardly to their fullest extent to collapse the device. It will thus be seen that the present embodiment of Fig. 4 possesses an advantage over that of Fig. 3, in that, while nevertheless shelves 8 (similarly to the shelves 8 of Fig. 3) cooperate with the shelves 8 to strengthen and brace the entire construction at all times and especially during the operations of collapsing or expanding the device, there is no news sity in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 4: for the removal of the stock-in-trade aforesaid from the shelves carried by auxiliary side walls 10 before collapsing the device, for it will be seen that each of the shelves 8 and 8 may carry its own contents even when upon a collapsing of the device the shelves 8 are completely arranged in vertical alinement with shelves 8 as disclosed in broken lines in Fig. 4.

It will thus be seen that I have provided embodiments of this invention well calculated to attain the various ends and objects thereof; embodiments, moreover, that while possessing all the advantages of the heretofore inflexible structures, also include many valuable and novel features, the more notable of which are the mutual bracing instrumentalities aforesaid and the fact that the device may be economically and conveniently collapsed in many desired situations, as, for instance, at the factory, during transportation therefrom, in the storage rooms and show-cases of the retailer, during transportation therefrom (here especially well calculated to aid in the salability of said embodiments, when it is remembered that the shopper at the Christmas season often desires to carry home his purchases notwithstanding their number), and in the nursery and playroom.

An exceedingly important advantage of this invention may now be pointed out, to wit, the fact that the child of susceptible age is subjected to a practical and interesting education in orderliness, discipline, and neatness, for the compartments of the store inculcate a real understanding of the maxim A place for everything, and everything in its place and the collapsible feature of the store itself teaches care of manipulation and the requisite of storing away this and his other Playthings with a minimum of waste space.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of my vz.

invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a shelf, said compartment having an opening in its front whereby access to said shelf may be had through said opening, and a movable coverplate for said opening carrying a shelf, said cover-plate being adapted for movement to close said opening and cause said shelves mutually to overlap.

2. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a shelf, said compartment having an opening in its front whereby access to said shelf -may be had through said opening, and a plurality of movable cover-plates for said opening each carrying a shelf, said cover-plates being adapted for movements, to cooperate to close said opening and each cover-plate being adapted thereby to cause the shelf carried thereby to overlap the shelf carried by said compartment.

3. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a rear wall, a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, a top wall and a horizontal shelf; in combination with a plurality of movable auxiliary side walls each carrying a horizontal shelf, said auxiliary side walls being adjustable to prolong each of said side walls and also being adjustable to cooperate substantially to estab lish a. front wall for said compartment, and a movable auxiliary bottom wall, said auxiliary bottom wall being adjustable to prolong said bottom wall and also being adjustable to overlie said auxiliary side walls when they cooperate to establish the front wall aforesaid.

L. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a rear wall, a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, a top wall and a horizontal shelf, in combination with a plurality of movable auxiliary side walls each carrying a horizontal shelf, said auxiliary side walls being adjustable to prolong each of said side walls and also being adjustable to cooperate substantially to establish a front wall for said compartment. and a movable auxiliary bottom wall, said auxiliary bottom Wall being adjustable to overlie said auxiliary side walls when they cooperate to establish the front wall aforesaid, and means partially carried by said auxiliary bottom wall adapted to lock said auxiliary bottom wall when it overlies said auxiliary side walls.

5. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a rear wall, a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, a top wall and a horizontal shelf; in combination with a plurality of movable auxiliary side walls each carrying a horizontal shelf, said auxiliary side walls being adjustable to prolong each of said side walls and also being adjustable to cooperate substantially to establish a front wall for said compartment, and a movable auxiliary bottom wall, said auxiliary bottom wall being adjustable to prolong said bottom wall and also being adjustable to overlie said auxiliary side walls when they cooperate to establish the front wall aforesaid, said top wall being movable whereby it is adjustable to prolong said rear wall.

6. In a device of the class described, a compartment including a rear wall, a plu rality of side walls, a bottom Wall, a top wall and a horizontal shelf; in combination with a plurality of movable auxiliary side walls each carrying a horizontal shelf, said auxiliary side walls being adjustable to prolong each of said side walls and also being adjustable to cooperate substantially to establish a front wall for said compartment, and a movable auxiliary bottom wall, said auxiliary bottom wall being adjustable to prolong said bottom wall and also being adjustable to overlie said auxiliary side walls when they cooperate to establish the front wall aforesaid, said top wall being movable whereby it is adjustable to prolong said rear wall, and means partially carried by said auxiliary bottom wall and partially carried by said top wall adapted to lock said auxiliary bottom wall when it overlies said auxiliary side wall.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES NEEDLEMAN.

In the presence of- FLORENCE L. Rose, NATHANIEL M. SGHILLO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

